Legendary, the serial novel I'm publishing on Popdose, will begin posting on Monday, May 19th. The entire book is be 34 chapters, or installments, running into the early weeks of August. A new chapter will run every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, EXCEPT for the week of Memorial Day, in which chapters will run on Tuesday and Thursday, and the week of July 4th, in which chapters will only run on Monday and Wednesday.
Music, baby!
One of the features that Popdose provides me is the ability to post songs with my chapters. This is one reason I'm not going directly the Kindle route with this book. Much like I did with every Basement Song post that ran on Popdose, a song will be incorporated into every chapter.
When I was a teenager, music was always playing, either on the radio, through someone's stereo, or over the PA systems in the stores or restaurants I frequented. You hear phrases like "soundtrack to my life" and that's what I tried to do with each character in the book. There are 36 songs total. Not all of them are obvious 80s songs (Mason Ruffner shows up) and the final soundtrack proves to be a pretty solid playlist.
Art
When I began putting together this project, I was leafing through a The New Yorker and a light bulb went off. Another way to make the serial novel unique and (hopefully) a reason for people to come by for 12 weeks would be to post an original work of art with each chapter. Much like you see in magazines like The New Yorker or The Atlantic, each chapter of Legendary will contain an original work of art that was inspired by the text.
I approached close to 30 artists and gave them free reign to draw, paint, photograph or digitally create something to post with a chapter I sent them. In addition, three separate banners have been created - one each for the three main characters - that will run with every post.
The artwork has begun coming in and I've been blown away at how great it's turning out. I think you will, too.
In the coming days I'll provide some background information on the book. Be sure to come back!
Aloha
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Great Strides 2014 was a HUGE success!
Before I get into any more news about Legendary and when it will begin posting, I MUST give an update about this year's Great Strides.
Team Jacob raised over $9,000, and the Valencia Great Strides walk has raise $112,000 to date!
That's frickin' amazing. Our small community raised a butt load of money!!
The walk day was hot and wonderful. This year we were in a new location at the mall, one that was a little removed from the "in your face" presence we've had in years past, but the flip side was that the traffic was a little safer.
The turnout for the walk was exceptional, and our team had close to 50 walkers. I owe all of you personal "thank yous," and they will be forthcoming. For now, I'm sending out a HUGE, universal "thanks" to all of our family and friends. It's your love and support that has kept our family afloat and filled with optimism. I wish I could hug each and every one of you. Alas, that would be costly and some of you might not like getting a big embrace from a sobbing father.
Tell you what, next year you're all invited to the Walk and we'll have a blow out in our backyard.
Not sure where we'll fit everyone...
Who cares!!
Seriously, though, thank you one and all. Your generosity instills hope in the lives of so many people you do not know. God bless you.
Aloha
Team Jacob raised over $9,000, and the Valencia Great Strides walk has raise $112,000 to date!
That's frickin' amazing. Our small community raised a butt load of money!!
The walk day was hot and wonderful. This year we were in a new location at the mall, one that was a little removed from the "in your face" presence we've had in years past, but the flip side was that the traffic was a little safer.
The turnout for the walk was exceptional, and our team had close to 50 walkers. I owe all of you personal "thank yous," and they will be forthcoming. For now, I'm sending out a HUGE, universal "thanks" to all of our family and friends. It's your love and support that has kept our family afloat and filled with optimism. I wish I could hug each and every one of you. Alas, that would be costly and some of you might not like getting a big embrace from a sobbing father.
Tell you what, next year you're all invited to the Walk and we'll have a blow out in our backyard.
Not sure where we'll fit everyone...
Who cares!!
Seriously, though, thank you one and all. Your generosity instills hope in the lives of so many people you do not know. God bless you.
Aloha
Friday, May 2, 2014
Great Strides 2014 is Tomorrow!!
The radio silence on my end is typical around this time of the year. Besides the other stuff going on in my life - work, podcasts, family - fundraising and stressing out about cystic fibrosis tends to consume everything.
This year we started out slow in raising money for Great Strides, the annual Cystic Fibrosis Foundation fundraiser to find a cure, but things really kicked into gear these last two weeks. Our team set a goal for $5K, and we surpassed that by over $2,000. Among the ways that we had people contribute (beside the usual soliciting of money through emails and posts) were a fund rasier at Jacob's school, a bake sale at the school where Julie works, Sophie's own efforts, and a bucket I placed on a table at my office. All of these proved to be successful ways to raise money. It was very, very thrilling.
One of the coolest things that happened was the contributions by Brave New World, the comic store in Santa Clarita where Jacob buys his comic books. Portlyn, the owner, donated a basket for the walk raffle, and she posted a wonderful note on her weekly email blast to all of her customers. It was amazing for me to read, but for Jake it was one of the coolest things ever. In the comics world, I feel like he has found kindred spirits and a way to escape being the boy with CF. The folks at Brave New World have embraced Jacob and his cause and made him feel like one of their family.
I can't believe that it's been 12 years that we've been doing Great Strides. I can barely recall the first one. I know I was emotional, as I will be tomorrow. No doubt I will have to escape to a bedroom at some point tomorrow night during our annual dinner with all of the walkers and weep over the outpouring of love our family has been show. I've been in a funk all week; the tears have been on the edge for a couple of days.
To all of you reading this, thank you for giving your love, support and money to find a cure. We are optimistic about what is in store for CF people in the next 10 years. Your money has helped in the development of new therapies that will someday put an end to this damn illness.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
This year we started out slow in raising money for Great Strides, the annual Cystic Fibrosis Foundation fundraiser to find a cure, but things really kicked into gear these last two weeks. Our team set a goal for $5K, and we surpassed that by over $2,000. Among the ways that we had people contribute (beside the usual soliciting of money through emails and posts) were a fund rasier at Jacob's school, a bake sale at the school where Julie works, Sophie's own efforts, and a bucket I placed on a table at my office. All of these proved to be successful ways to raise money. It was very, very thrilling.
One of the coolest things that happened was the contributions by Brave New World, the comic store in Santa Clarita where Jacob buys his comic books. Portlyn, the owner, donated a basket for the walk raffle, and she posted a wonderful note on her weekly email blast to all of her customers. It was amazing for me to read, but for Jake it was one of the coolest things ever. In the comics world, I feel like he has found kindred spirits and a way to escape being the boy with CF. The folks at Brave New World have embraced Jacob and his cause and made him feel like one of their family.
I can't believe that it's been 12 years that we've been doing Great Strides. I can barely recall the first one. I know I was emotional, as I will be tomorrow. No doubt I will have to escape to a bedroom at some point tomorrow night during our annual dinner with all of the walkers and weep over the outpouring of love our family has been show. I've been in a funk all week; the tears have been on the edge for a couple of days.
To all of you reading this, thank you for giving your love, support and money to find a cure. We are optimistic about what is in store for CF people in the next 10 years. Your money has helped in the development of new therapies that will someday put an end to this damn illness.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Kid Duplicate asks you to Be a Hero!
Kid Duplicate was designed by Jacob. He asked me to draw it for him. I just helped him achieve his vision as an artist. Before I started, Jacob chose the pose I should use and gave me diagrams of Kid Duplicate's accessories. Jacob colored it.
Please help Jacob and Kid Duplicate beat CF!
Donate today!
http://fightcf.cff.org/site/TR/GreatStrides/120_Southern_California_Los_Angeles?px=1769201&pg=personal&fr_id=2067
Monday, April 14, 2014
Great Strides is around the corner.
May 3 is the Valencia Great Strides and there's still plenty of time to donate. Please check out our team page, watch Sophie's wonderful video, and consider making a contribution to ending cystic fibrosis.
http://fightcf.cff.org/site/TR/GreatStrides/120_Southern_California_Los_Angeles?px=1769201&pg=personal&fr_id=2067
Aloha!
Sunday, April 6, 2014
The name of the book is "Legendary"
The name of the book is Legendary. It's a romantic comedy that takes place over the course of a single day in June, 1987. After years of missed opportunities, high school seniors Brian and Allison have finally shared their first kiss. Unfortunately, this momentous event doesn’t meet with the approval of Kate, Brian’s long time girlfriend. As Allison struggles to emerge from the worst year of her life, Brian must determine when to fight for love- and when to walk away. Hearts will be broken and friendships tested as Brian, Allison and Kate find themselves at the same party on a night that is sure to be legendary.
Set is a northeast Ohio suburb, Legendary is told through the distinct voices of the three protagonists. This emotionally driven contemporary story was inspired by the sincere and humorous writing of John Green and David Levithan, as well as filmmakers John Hughes and Cameron Crowe.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Book Update: Coming Soon to Popdose
In my last post, I posed the idea of publishing my first (and to this point, only) novel on Popdose. After some careful consideration, I'm moving forward with this project. Not sure of the launch date, but I hope to begin weekly installments sometime in May. Each installment will include three chapters of the book, as well as songs that will fit organically into the contents. By the end of the summer, I hope that I'll have entertained people and given them a pretty cool playlist of great songs from the decade I came of age: the 1980s.
No, it won't be all new wave or hair metal. Anyone who knew me back in the day will recall my two crates full of LPs, as well as multiple cases of cassette tapes. I hope to cull from my collection to provide the soundtrack to the book.
What does this have to do with Basement Songs the book? Plenty. If you were a reader of the column when it ran on Popdose, you'll know that I managed to find a way to work music into the narrative each week. I took great pride in managing to do that and I look forward to doing that again.
I hope you'll check back for updates and read the series over the summer.
More to come. I'm excited. Are you?
I'll leave you with this spectacular Los Lobos song I rediscovered while combing through the Malchus archives. I have to warn you, you won't be able to sit down once you start the music.
Aloha!
No, it won't be all new wave or hair metal. Anyone who knew me back in the day will recall my two crates full of LPs, as well as multiple cases of cassette tapes. I hope to cull from my collection to provide the soundtrack to the book.
What does this have to do with Basement Songs the book? Plenty. If you were a reader of the column when it ran on Popdose, you'll know that I managed to find a way to work music into the narrative each week. I took great pride in managing to do that and I look forward to doing that again.
I hope you'll check back for updates and read the series over the summer.
More to come. I'm excited. Are you?
I'll leave you with this spectacular Los Lobos song I rediscovered while combing through the Malchus archives. I have to warn you, you won't be able to sit down once you start the music.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
The Strange Sad Life of a Writer
So look, it's not that I don't love you. I do! But I've been working. Hard. That screenplay I completed? Yeah, it took something out of me. And as soon as I got notes about it, well, I dove right back in.
I just killed a spider, by the way.
Where was I? Oh right, the screenplay.
I dove back in. I obsessed. I took every single not I received to heart and just began... thinking. How do I apply these notes to the script? How can I make the script better?
Plus, I watched about 10 Philip Seymour Hoffman films, began a new podcast about The Americans (maybe you've heard of it, it's called Comrades), wrote some reviews, went to some swim meets (my daughter is an awesome swimmer, by the way; don't tell her I said that), wrote this year's Great Strides fundraising letter, worried like hell when Jacob got pneumonia, did my taxes, and of course, I worked. I think I read something? Long Day's Journey Into Night, that's it.
I could go on making excuses, but this laptop keeps shocking me. That can't be good.
Oh right! I had this idea and I want you to tell me what you think.
I wrote a novel a few years ago and I'm thinking of publishing it on Popdose as a sort of multimedia project. I'm going to do a little revising and reset it in the 80s. Then, like the Basement Songs column, I'll include music in each chapter (if it is applicable).
Thoughts? Let me know.
Aloha
I just killed a spider, by the way.
Where was I? Oh right, the screenplay.
I dove back in. I obsessed. I took every single not I received to heart and just began... thinking. How do I apply these notes to the script? How can I make the script better?
Plus, I watched about 10 Philip Seymour Hoffman films, began a new podcast about The Americans (maybe you've heard of it, it's called Comrades), wrote some reviews, went to some swim meets (my daughter is an awesome swimmer, by the way; don't tell her I said that), wrote this year's Great Strides fundraising letter, worried like hell when Jacob got pneumonia, did my taxes, and of course, I worked. I think I read something? Long Day's Journey Into Night, that's it.
I could go on making excuses, but this laptop keeps shocking me. That can't be good.
Oh right! I had this idea and I want you to tell me what you think.
I wrote a novel a few years ago and I'm thinking of publishing it on Popdose as a sort of multimedia project. I'm going to do a little revising and reset it in the 80s. Then, like the Basement Songs column, I'll include music in each chapter (if it is applicable).
Thoughts? Let me know.
Aloha
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